Transcendence and Non-Naturalism in Early Chinese Thought

Contemporary scholars of Chinese philosophy often presuppose that early China possessed a naturalistic worldview, devoid of any non-natural concepts, such as transcendence. Challenging this presupposition head-on, Joshua R. Brown and Alexus McLeod argue that non-naturalism and transcendence have a robust and significant place in early Chinese thought. This book reveals that non-naturalist positions can be found in early Chinese texts, in topics including conceptions of the divine, cosmogony, and apophatic philosophy. Moreover, by closely examining a range of early Chinese texts, and providing comparative readings of a number of Western texts and thinkers, the book offers a way of reading early Chinese Philosophy as consistent with the religious philosophy of the East and West, including the Abrahamic and the Brahmanistic religions.Co-written by a philosopher and theologian, this book draws out unique insights into early Chinese thought, highlighting in particular new ways to consider a range of Chinese concepts, including tian, dao, li, and you/wu.

Introduction: Arguments for a Non-Naturalist Reading of Early Chinese Thought Part I: Groundwork-Questioning a Naturalistic Interpretation of Early Chinese Thoughts 1. "Naturalism" in Western Philosophy and its Use in Scholarship on Chinese Thought2. Rethinking Transcendence and Nature3. The Naturalist Project of the HanPart II: Transcendence-Readings of Key Concepts and Texts4. Does Tian Will? The Debate in Warring States and Han5. The Relationship Between Tian and Humanity6. Tian and the Grounding of Ritual7. Dao and the Propensities of Tian 8. Dao and Cosmogony9. Dao as Action and Natural LawPart III: Substance-Readings of Key Concepts and Texts10. Qi as Substance in the Early Han12. Chapter Twelve: Qi as Essential Spirit13. An Essential Reading of Xing14. An Essential Reading of XinBibliographyIndex